Ink by Holly Hood REVIEW

Ink by Holly Hood

review request by the author


Synopsis from Goodreads
Hope didn’t ask for so much change in her life. She was happy living in Georgia for the rest of her life. Focusing on the things she loved the most: singing, dancing, and her best friend Karsen. This was effortless, she had no worries.

But all that changed when her mother decided to leave her dad for Pete, the Tae Kwon do instructor. And now Hope had to choose between staying where she belonged or moving far away to Cherry California with her dad.

After making the choice to move far away, to protect her father, Hope realises Cherry is nothing like the hometown she’s used to. Everyone is rude, high class and she doesn’t fit in. Not until Slade comes along. He has never fit in and he is okay with that. And Hope is fascinated by everything that Slade is. All the way down to his tattoos and bat wielding rescue the first time they meet.

She knows she should stay far away from him, but it proves tricky as she discovers dark secrets about the town and people in Cherry, California. Hope doesn’t know who to trust as her life takes a turn from ordinary and depressing to dangerous and wild.

 Amazon kindle US/UK

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I apologise to the author as it took me much longer than anticipated to review this book. I think one of the main reasons for this is that despite compelling writing, try as I might I just couldn't like the main characters.



First of all, this is 18+ mature YA. There is plenty of sex and violence. I was taken aback by it, although the author did give a fair warning about the contents of the book.


Hope moves into Cherry, CA with her alcoholic father and younger twin-brothers leaving her friends and dreams behind. Straight away she becomes involved into the strange dynamics of this town. One group organising rock concerts in the park and participating in them is being vilified by the whole town, accused of witchcraft and murder.


Her first day in town, Hope meets Slade, who is a part of this group and an amazing singer, and they feel instant attraction. He is a classic bad-ass - tattoos, black leather, etc.


Hope also meets Tucker, a hunky son of a Mayor of Cherry. Tucker goes to the same Art School as Hope who is a very talented singer. Her grandmother and Tucker's mom actively try playing matchmaking with them.


Despite the predictable popular love triangle, magic, sex and violence the whole book is pretty bizarre, because both Slade and Tucker are dicks (sorry, there is no polite way of saying that). They might say the right things but their actions are so self-centered, so sickeningly negligent of Hope's well-being, I'm frankly at loss why would anyone like them?


Tucker is a spoiled rotten rich teenager with a bitchy stepmother and a psychotic dad. Slade might be poor and rebellious but at heart he is a manipulative little bastard. 

I think my problem is that I felt bad for Hope whose naivete made her fall for a guy like these two. The girl is courageous and is not afraid to stand up for herself, but she made stupid stupid choices and I couldn't bring myself to like her for that. I know I'm supposed to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the story, and I know for a fact that a lot of people did.


However, I've seen too many men like that in real life. It's not funny and it's not attractive.


Also Karsen, hell of a best friend... Too much sex, just too much. 


I'd better stop ranting.

I think at seventeen I would have found this book daring and exciting, but now? I'm too old to fall for it, peeps :)


Don't let my rant discourage you. Decide for yourself what you like.

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Ну что сказать, мои хорошие? Любовный треульник? Присутствует. Магия? Есть. Мэр-психопат и золотой мальчик города, атлет и красавец? Есть. Мятежный герой асфальта, он же певец местной рок-группы, он же волшебник? Есть. Вроде должно быть интересно.


Однако, оба парня - последние мудаки, девушка слишком наивна. Несмотря на её храбрость и готовность постоять за себя, она - неминуемая жертва, потому как и Слэйд  и Такер её используют, а она остаётся ко всему слепа.


Лучшая подруга - Карсен, ещё та нимфоманка. Постоянные разговоры о сексе, и сам постоянный акт надоедают до тошноты.


Кнга соориентирована на взрослую аудиторию, читающую YA. Однако, если в 17 лет я бы нашла её интересной и щекочущей нервы, теперь я слишком стара для такой дребедени. Поэтому читайте на свой страх и риск. Многим нравится.

6/10